Americans United - Nampahttps://www.au.org/tags/nampa
enClassically Unconstitutional: Nampa Charter School Can't Be Based On The Biblehttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/classically-unconstitutional-nampa-charter-school-cant-be-based-on-the
<a href="/about/people/bathija">Sandhya Bathija</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>There is always something going on Nampa, Idaho, isn't there?</p>
<p>Last year, the Nampa public library <a href="http://blog.au.org/2008/06/11/no-joy-in-idaho-nampa-library-board-pulls-sex-ed-books-from-shelves/">removed</a> two sex education books from its shelves after receiving complaints from religious activists. And the city's "Treasure Valley God and Country Festival" <a href="http://blog.au.org/2009/07/07/flyover-flap-air-force-drops-participation-in-idaho-religious-festival/">mixed</a> Bible readings with hourly flyovers by Air Force B-2 bombers for years until the Pentagon finally put a stop to that in July.</p>
<p>Now, the city will host a charter school that plans to borrow much of its curriculum from a private Christian prep school in Michigan. Fortunately, on Friday, the Nampa Public Charter Commission <a href="http://www.idahopress.com/news/?id=25508">told</a> the school it could not use the Bible as part of its curriculum.</p>
<p>The school <a href="http://www.azcentral.com/community/scottsdale/articles/2009/08/14/20090814bible-school14-ON.html">had planned</a> to teach the Bible "for its literary and historic qualities" and also wanted to give students the opportunity to "explore several versions of creationism."</p>
<p>The Alliance Defense Fund had sent a <a href="http://www.alliancedefensefund.org/news/pressrelease.aspx?cid=5033">memo</a> in support of the charter school, informing the commission that the U.S. Supreme Court has held the Bible can be studied objectively in public schools.</p>
<p>It's true that the Supreme Court has said instruction about the Bible may occur in public schools so long as it is academic in nature, neutral and objective, but scripture cannot be used to proselytize and push a narrow religious viewpoint. And Idaho's Constitution contains even greater protection for church-state separation by flatly banning sectarian books from public schools.</p>
<p>Though the commission has seemingly resolved the issue over Nampa Classical Academy's use of the Bible, there still are plenty of other reasons to be concerned with this charter school.</p>
<p>The school's founder, Isaac Moffett, said he does not agree with the major educational philosophies of today. According to an article in <a href="http://www.boiseweekly.com/boise/classical-class/Content?oid=1098884"><em>The Boise Weekly</em></a>, "Moffett bemoaned the works of secular progressives" that were offered at teacher colleges.</p>
<p>He then founded Nampa Classical, which will use curriculum that does not include "certain sex ed" and does not harshly judge Christopher Columbus "for introducing disease to the New World." In addition, "kids will learn about Native Americans," Moffett told the newspaper, but only because "you can't understand why they were conquered so easily without understanding their culture."</p>
<p>Moffett has based his curriculum not just on the Christian prep school in Michigan, but also on the book, <em>Classical Education: The Movement Sweeping America</em>, which was published by a conservative think tank and written by authors who once worked at Boise's Foundations Academy Christian School. The authors' 20-plus books all discuss how to engage society with Christianity.</p>
<p>Though Moffett claims the school will modify the curriculum so it is not religious, there is little way to keep a check on that.</p>
<p>Charter schools, though run entirely with public funding, are held to fewer accountability standards, so it would be difficult to monitor. And if the school does plan to teach creationism, it would be a clear violation of the Constitution.</p>
<p>The charter school intends to follow the commission's directive, yet the school board's chairman said he didn't know if they will seek further assistance from the ADF.</p>
<p>We hope that Nampa Classical Academy stays within constitutional confines, and that if it doesn't, the Idaho Public Charter School Commission sees it for what it really is: a Christian school being paid for on the taxpayers' dime.</p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/other-issues-regarding-religion-schools-and-universities">Other Issues regarding Religion in Schools and Universities</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/religion-public-schools-and-universities">Religion in Public Schools and Universities</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/bible-curriculum">Bible Curriculum</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/charter-schools">Charter Schools</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/idaho">Idaho</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/nampa">Nampa</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/religion-public-schools-and-universities">Religion in Public Schools and Universities</a></span></div></div>Mon, 17 Aug 2009 18:31:24 +0000Sandhya Bathija2379 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/classically-unconstitutional-nampa-charter-school-cant-be-based-on-the#commentsFlyover Flap: Air Force Drops Participation In Idaho Religious Festivalhttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/flyover-flap-air-force-drops-participation-in-idaho-religious-festival
<a href="/about/people/bathija">Sandhya Bathija</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>The Department of Defense has ended a decades-old tradition of lending support to a fundamentalist Christian festival in Idaho.</p>
<p>The Pentagon nixed a request for military flyovers during the "Treasure Valley God and Country Festival" held annually in Nampa. (Yes, this is the same city that wanted to <a href="http://blog.au.org/2008/06/11/no-joy-in-idaho-nampa-library-board-pulls-sex-ed-books-from-shelves/">pull sex education books</a> from its public library shelves last year)</p>
<p>According to sponsors, the Pentagon has allowed these flyovers at the <a href="http://godandcountryfestival.com/">festival </a>since it began in 1967 to "promote our country's founding ideals and faith in God."</p>
<p>The religious nature of the event is apparent. In fact, the rally's director, Patti Syme, told the <em><a href="http://www.idahopress.com/news/?2009-07-03-Pentagon-nixes-flyover">Idaho Press-Tribune</a></em> that the event is "as Christian as you can get – we believe in promoting Christianity."</p>
<p>In denying the flyover request, government officials <a href="http://www.earnedmedia.org/God_and_Country_flyover.pdf">said</a>:</p>
<p>"Air Force and DoD policy prohibit support for events which appear to endorse, selectively benefit, or favor any special interest group, religious or ideological movement.... We are not questioning the worthiness of the event, but rather enforcing DoD and Air Force policy to preserve the operational and training requirements of our aviation units and to practice the prudent stewardship of taxpayer-financed resources."</p>
<p>The decision follows an <a href="http://blog.au.org/2007/05/25/no-highflying-evangelism-air-force-and-army-back-away-from-christian-event/">earlier move</a> by officials to stop military involvement with a similar evangelical Christian event in Stone Mountain Park, Ga., which Americans United protested in 2007.</p>
<p>Back then, AU's legal department wrote a letter to the Secretary of the Air Force and the Acting Secretary of the Army, arguing that the military's co-sponsorship and planned participation in the Georgia rally violated church-state separation.</p>
<p>At that event, promotional materials for what they called a "Salute to the Troops" celebration promised hourly flyovers by Air Force B-2 Bombers and parachuting demonstrations by the Army's Silver Wings Parachute Jump Team. All this excitement was mixed in with Bible distributions, worship services, personal religious "testimony" by a uniformed B-2 pilot and revival-type sermons given by dozens of ministers.</p>
<p>Fortunately, after AU made a stink, officials took steps to put distance between the Air Force and the event, including denying the flyover request.</p>
<p>We were happy to see our work paid off in Georgia. And now, it's even better to know it may have helped make an important change across the board.</p>
<p>Of course, this is not sitting well with <a href="http://www.earnedmedia.org/God_and_Country_flyover.pdf">Religious Right activists</a>.</p>
<p>"For the Obama administration to deny a flyover for the first time is a slap in the face to all those who proudly serve our country, especially when we are at war," said Rev. Patrick J. Mahoney, head of the Christian Defense Coalition.</p>
<p>"Will the new policy of President Obama be that a person has to surrender their faith tradition to honor and pay tribute to our courageous men and women who serve in the military?" Mahoney <a href="http://www.earnedmedia.org/cdc0703.htm">asked</a>.</p>
<p>The answer is no, of course.</p>
<p>Events like the "God and Country Festival" can still honor our armed forces, but they just have to do it without the government's endorsement and support.</p>
<p>Mahoney and other Religious Right leaders should not be able to seek the help of the military to further push "Christian nation" propaganda, as it does with these events. Hopefully, that strategy ends here.</p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/churches-and-politics">Churches and Politics</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/christian-defense-coalition">Christian Defense Coalition</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/christian-festival">Christian festival</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/department-defense">Department of Defense</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/flyover">Flyover</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/governement-endorsed-religion">Governement-endorsed religion</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/idaho">Idaho</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/military">Military</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/nampa">Nampa</a></span></div></div>Tue, 07 Jul 2009 19:54:40 +0000Sandhya Bathija2366 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/flyover-flap-air-force-drops-participation-in-idaho-religious-festival#comments